Dental Implants in Royal Oak, MI

Missing teeth are a pain – literally. When you are missing one or more teeth, parts of life you used to take for granted become challenging. The sound of your speech may change, and you might find yourself avoiding foods you used to love, including fresh, crunchy fruits and vegetables. Your health and your self-confidence may both suffer, and a chain reaction begins that may eventually lead to even more missing teeth.

Previously, your choices for replacing missing teeth were limited to dental bridges, partials, and dentures. While these work fine in the short term, their biggest flaw is that they can’t prevent the bone damage that occurs when teeth are missing.

Dental implants are a new tooth replacement system that not only looks just like a real tooth, but also functions like one, allowing you to eat and speak comfortably. Most importantly, the implant prevents bone loss, stopping the chain reaction and preventing further damage and tooth loss.

What Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are a three-part system that looks just like a natural tooth. The actual implant part of a dental implant is a titanium post that is placed in your gum. Titanium is a biocompatible metal, which means that your body is highly likely to accept it, and your chances of rejection are very low.

Once the implant is placed, it starts to become a part of your jaw through a process called osseointegration. The post functions like a tooth root, providing a secure base for the artificial tooth and stimulating your jaw bone to restore itself.

The second part of the system is a small piece called an abutment that attaches to your implant. The tooth portion of the implant attaches to and is held in place by the abutment.

The part of your dental implant that others will see is the crown that we attach to the abutment. This is called restoring the dental implant. The crown will be created to blend in with your other teeth, and nobody other than you and Dr. Chalasani will know that isn’t one of your natural teeth.

Additional Advantages of Dental Implants

The biggest advantage of dental implants over other tooth replacement systems is the prevention of bone deterioration in the jaw, but dental implants have a number of other advantages as well:

The implant becomes a permanent part of your jaw and doesn’t need to be removed to be cleaned like dentures and partials.

If you need a number of teeth replaced and replacing them with implants is cost prohibitive, a few implants can be used to hold a bridge, partial, or denture in place, creating a cost-effective hybrid.

You can enjoy all the foods you used to (even crunchy, chewy, and sticky ones) without concern for your dental work.

You’ll never have to worry about dentures slipping or coming loose at an inopportune moment.

If you’re ready to learn more about dental implants and whether they are the right choice for you, please call Family Dentistry of Royal Oak today to schedule your consultation with Dr. Suchi Chalasani DMD.